Hoffenheim II vs Stuttgart II

Hoffenheim II hosts Stuttgart II in round 12 of the Regionalliga Sudwest which is also the last match of the round. The game will be televised so it is an extra motivation to perform. The teams are quite similar on the table as Hoffenheim is 8`th with 16 points while Stuttgart is 14`th but with 15 points. The league is so congested that only a couple of top teams have some difference behind them. It has not been a comfortable ride for either team this season but Hoffenheim definitely looks more powerful in attack. With 22 goals Hoffenheim has the third best attack of the league but with 15 goals scored at home they are the best attacking home side. So far the hosts played 5 matches at home and lost to strong Mannheim 1:2 which was no surprise but also lost to Elversberg 0:2 which was a surprise. In other matches they won against equally matched teams and won big: Pirmasens 6:2, Worms 5:0 and Mainz II 3:0. Hoffenheim also had good matches away but scored twice as less than at home. Form is good for the hosts with 4 wins and 2 losses in the last 6 matches. Stuttgart sits on the 14`th place and in the possible relegation place but a couple of wins could mean a mid table position. Stuttgart II is having a pretty average season as the previous two before when they finished just above the relegation places. With 4-3-4 so far they are the team you can never know what to expect. They are in the middle of a positive run with just 1 loss in the last 6 matches but had some favorable opponents away from home facing Astoria, Mainz, Elversberg. With 2-1-2 and 6:8 gd they are not one of the easiest sides to beat. Yet Hoffenheim has played with Stuttgart 4 times in the past few seasons and won all 4 being especially good at home with 4:1 and 3:0 wins. In front of the big crowd tonight I fancy Hoffenheim to take the 3 points. The home side will be missing Isa Doğan and Tim Wöhrle while Stuttgart II misses Jan Ferdinand and regular defender Pedro Allgaier.